Strings
by and then again
Summary: Rory wants to prove to Logan she can handle no strings. She enlists the help of a new transfer, a certain blonde boy from her past. Trory.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I own nada.

**AN**: Rory's at Yale and trying the no strings thing with Logan. Takes place before Finale.

Reviews are wonderful thing that keep the story going.

**Surprise, Surprise**

The party had been going on for a few hours. People were spilling out from every corner of the building it seemed. People laughing, dancing, exploring each other in dark corners. Rory Gilmore was doing none of those things. She was wondering why she had ever come to the party in the first place. Unfortunately for her, the answer to her chagrin was across the dance floor, blissfully unaware of her presence and in the arms of a tall, blonde.

Rory sighed as she watched Logan Hunztberger from the corner of her eye. She had come to the party hoping to see him, more than that, she had hoped to see him alone. But he wasn't alone, for the last half an hour he had been dancing closely with a blonde in a red skirt. The most frustrating bit was that Rory couldn't do anything about it. She had initiated this care free, "college dating" between the two of them. She had told him there were no strings. Rory stood, eying the two, as if transfixed like staring at a car wreck. She kept telling herself to just go home, watching Logan with another girl would do her no good, but for some reason she couldn't get herself to leave. If she went home she'd have Paris to face- she couldn't call her mother; Lorelai would only be too delighted to be right about this whole unexclusive dating scenario Rory had started. Rory shook her head in frustration before ambling to the drink table for another refreshment.

"Rory love, what are you doing here?"

She looked up to see Logan's good friends Finn and Colin.

"Hey guys," She said nodding her head in greeting.

"Come back to our table with us. We are going to get smashed," Finn said jovially nodding the bottle of vodka that he clutched in his hand.

Rory shook her head, "no I don't think that'll be a good idea actually…"

Finn tossed the vodka to Colin who made a panicked face but managed to catch it. He, then grabbed Rory's hand and pulled her across the floor, yelling over his shoulder, "nonsense."

Once they had reached their destination, Finn dropped her hand and immediately bee lined to greet other friends. Rory cursed the Australian with a small attention span in her mind as she realized he had deposited her right in front of Logan …and co.

"Rory," The blonde boy greeted her with an easy smile. Always so composed.

She smiled weakly and hoped she sounded normal when she said, "Hey Logan."

Logan shot a quick glance to the leggy girl whose shoulder he had his arm slung around.

"This is Kate."

Again, Rory forced a smile and nodded to the girl.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you."

The girl nodded, not unfriendly but perhaps uninterested, and motioned to the dance floor.

"Logan," She crooned, "this is our song."

She edged closer the music and Logan paused before following her.

He placed his hand gently on Rory's shoulder and said, "it was nice seeing you Ace," before flashing her his patented grin and heading to the dance floor.

Rory grit her teeth in frustration.

_It was nice seeing you Ace. _

So fucking cordial. Like he hadn't woken up in her bed just two mornings ago. She massaged lightly at her temples wondering how she had ever gotten herself in this mess.

"Reporter girl, where've you've been?"

Finn had somehow made his way back to her. She glared at him through narrowed eyes.

"I've been here the entire time. You were the one who left me right in front of Logan and his date," she hissed.

The boy nodded absentmindedly and said, "she has killer legs," briefly ogling the girl Logan was dancing with.

Rory felt like her head might explode and Colin, ever observant, elbowed the Australian sharply.

Finn noticed her expression and said with a start, "OH. Nothing compared to yours of course. Now come love, have a drink and let me make it up to you. In fact," he said cocking an eyebrow at her, "I'll spend all night making it up to you."

Rory felt herself crack a smile in spite of herself. She was used to Finn's antics and still they never failed to amuse her.

"No on the all night. Yes on the drink."

An hour or so later, Rory ruefully examined the now empty bottle of vodka. She groaned with the deep foreboding that she was going to be oh so hung over tomorrow. She glanced around and saw that both her drinking buddies, Finn and Colin, had disappeared. Just as well, all she wanted to do was go home. Rory stood immediately saw a sight that bothered her more than the dull ache pounding through her head. Logan…girl. Lips locked, his hand on her hips.

Rory watched them, the ache in her head now feeling more prominent in her heart, and noted she did not know why the hell she was doing this to herself. She felt anger at Logan for making such a fool out of her well. Even if she had agreed to this…he didn't have to flaunt it so. She blindly stumbled through the crowds of people, tears welling up in her eyes. She fixated her gaze on the floor not wanting to see anyone she knew right now. She was getting closer to the door when she felt a hand tug on her arm.

She spun around, ready for Finn again and half hoping it was Logan, desperately sorry and ready to commit. The boy who stood in front of her was indeed blonde but he was taller and leaner than Logan. And while Rory was quite fond of Logan's warm brown eyes the slate blue of this boy's were unparalleled. They had always been.

"Tristan," she gasped.

"Rory, I thought it was you," the boy said breaking out into a nervous smile.

Without thinking, Rory stepped forward and embraced him. Relishing the feeling of being in someone's arms.

Tristan stiffened with surprise but instantly relaxed holding the girl tightly to him. After a moment, Rory stepped out of the embrace and looked at him with a sheepish look in her eyes.

Tristan smiled at her and said carefully, "I guess you aren't terribly upset to see me?"

Rory tried to nod but to her horror tears began to well in her eyes. She blinked furiously, willing herself not to break down in front of Tristan Dugrey.

Tristan, of course, saw this emotional crumbling and looked at her a bit panicked. The boy was positively frightened. She tried to say something to dismiss her emotions but instead, laden with frustration and alcohol, her mouth only quivered furiously.

"Hey hey, I thought it was only my kisses that made you cry, not the hugs too," he said feebly.

Rory smiled gratefully at the joke and then flushed remembering what he was referring to. Tristan looked at her carefully, "you okay?"

"There's this guy," Rory began before finding a loss of words. She had no idea how to explain the tangle she had gotten herself into with Logan.

Tristan was waiting patiently, rocking on his heels, a look of concern in his eyes. Rory took the moment of silence to look at him.

"You've gotten taller."

He shrugged his broad shoulder and said, "military school does wonders."

"what are you doing here, at Yale?"

"I just transferred. I thought you were all about Harvard?"

Rory smiled, touched that he remembered.

"I ended up here. With Paris as a roommate."

Tristan gave her a look of disbelief. "You two hated each other."

"She hated me. And only because of you," Rory said pointedly.

The boy shrugged again and treated her to his lazy grin, "what can I say. The girl was besotted with me."

"one of the many," Rory quipped.

Tristan smiled again. "I've missed talking to you, Rory Gilmore."

"I'm just delighted you've learned my name."

"Took me awhile but I think I've finally got it."

Rory smiled again at the boy in front of her. That same second her expression froze--Logan was coming this way, probably heading towards the exit, with the girl in hand.

"Rory you okay?" Tristan asked.

She shook her head furiously. Unable to stand the idea of sharing goodbye's before Logan took the girl back to his room, the same room Rory herself had frequented just this week, she stood in horror as the two got closer and closer and fuck! Her eyes met Logan's across the floor.

She turned her head sharply, like a fleeing animal, and whispered to Tristan quickly, "if I do something…will you just play along?"

"what?" the boy asked back confusedly.

Logan was about three feet away, clearly heading towards the two of them and the doors behind them.

She swallowed quickly and whispered, "kiss me."


	2. Chapter 2

Tristan's eyes widened and he answered in a timid voice. "What?"

Rory faced him with large desperate eyes, "please kiss me. Like you mean it."

Surprise settled all over his face but Tristan got over it instantly. He had had odder requests and seeing the panic staining Rory's eyes he didn't want to be the one to say, 'no'.

He pulled her flush against his body and brought his mouth to hers. He kissed her slowly and Rory probably frozen in stress didn't respond. Tristan pulled away from her, his eyes full of confusion.

However, Rory didn't meet his eyes. She was staring gravely at the feet of a boy who in turn was looking at him with a baffled expression on his face.

"Hi," he said.

Tristan nodded, not really understanding the situation at all.

"You a friend of Rory's?" The boy asked. There was a certain air to his voice, something pompous and challenging, that made Tristan bristle. He took his time responding, taking in Rory's hunched shoulder and flitting eyes and also the attractive girl whose hand the boy clasped. Tristan treated the boy to one of his trademark smirks and casually rested his arm on Rory's shoulders.

"Something like that."

"Logan Hunztberger," The boy said sticking out his hand.

"Tristan Dugrey," he answered and returned the boy's firm grasp.

Tristan moved his hand from Rory's shoulders to playing with the ends of her hair. He noticed how Logan's brow furrowed at that and Rory seemed to hearten herself at his obvious displeasure.

"How do you know Rory?" Logan asked, his voice laden with territorialness,

Tristan took pleasure in drawling slowly, "Oh we go way back. Mary and I used to go to high school together."

The blonde girl next to Logan took this opportunity to join the conversation.

"Were you sweethearts," She bubbled. Rory noted through her silence that this Kate was much more inclined to be friendly with Tristan than her. Not that it surprised her, she was used to watching Tristan's charm at work.

Tristan smiled at the girl and said intimately, "I wouldn't really call us sweethearts," he flicked his glance towards Logan, "what we had was more physical. You know those hot n' heavy teen romances"

The girl giggled and said, "do I" before shooting Rory an envious look.

Logan cleared his throat with displeasure and said, "well…are you visiting?"

"Actually I just transferred. I just arrived and came here hoping to find Rory and surprise her. Circumstances tore us apart back then and well," smiling a sappy grin Tristan said, "It's good to see her again."

"That's so romantic," Kate sighed much to Logan's annoyance.

Tristan turned and faced Rory and asked, "you were surprised right?"

Rory noting Logan's sour face nodded sweetly and said, "of course. I couldn't have been happier."

"Good," Tristan said and with a wicked gleam in his eye, he leaned in and caught her mouth in a bruising kiss. Rory, completely taken of guard, responded out of instinct and kissed him in return. It quickly became openmouthed with their tongues dueling passionately. Tristan placed his hands on the small of her back and pulled her closer to him. Rory locked her arms around her neck and raked her hands through his thick hair. He began sucking at her neck, teeth scraping skin, and without thinking Rory lolled her head back and sighed in pleasure.

Tristan remembering where they were reluctantly released her from his grasp. Rory looked at him with eyes cloudy from drink and, to his absolute delight, lust.

"whaat?" She said quietly.

"They've left," Tristan answered softly.

Rory looked confused for a moment and then as if suddenly remembering the last few minutes said, "oh" with widened eyes.

"Yeah, your boyfriend dragged of his date in a hissy fit." Tristan said.

Rory frowned at his snide tone and Tristan in turn frowned as she didn't make any move to deny her and Logan's relationship.

"Walk me to my dorm," Rory said with an air of surrender, "I think I'm going to pass out."

The two walked silently for a few moments before Tristan asked, "Who was that guy?"

"Logan," Rory answered back weakly.

Tristan made a derisive noise and said, "I meant in relation to you."

"I know you did. I'm not sure…it's complicated."

"why was he with another girl?"

"Because," She answered not wanting to talk about.

Tristan came to an abrupt halt and looked in her eyes, "you let him cheat on you?"

Rory shook her head in protest. "He's not cheating…we have a deal"

She felt her cheeks flush in defiance as Tristan raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"It's not cheating. We just spend time together…no strings."

Tristan guffawed rudely. "Mary, everything with you has strings."

She glared at him.

"It was my idea."

"A horrible idea."

"Oh what would you know?" She spat back.

Tristan shook his head ruefully and said, "I know that you were always anti casual anything at Chilton. You were practically married to bagboy. I know that I run into you tonight with tears in your eyes and half-drunk. I know you freaked out when you saw him…yeah it really sounds like no strings are working for you."

"Well they are," She almost shouted at him despite their closeness.

Tristan took a step closer to her and said nastily, "oh yeah?"

Rory, frustrated beyond belief, punched him in the stomach.

"what the hell?" He let out as he doubled over a bit in surprise.

"You…you…just come here and you don't know. And don't you tower over me like you know," She started furiously, not caring that she was being completely incoherent, "and then you kiss me and you just assume you know everything about me."

"Hey," Tristan, upright again, said jabbing a finger in the air, "you asked me to kiss you. You wanted to piss of whatever his face was right?"

"I asked for the first time…the second was ..was," she sputtered.

Tristan smirked at her.

"You didn't seem to mind at all," he said in all his arrogant glory.

Rory took a deep breathe and her shoulder hunched in surrender. She was exhausted and could not combat Tristan' s ego tonight.

Noting her forfeit, Tristan smoothly moved on, as if they hadn't been screaming at each other seconds later, "why no strings? All I meant is that you seemed like the type who enjoyed the strings"

Rory opened her mouth planning on a quick retort but instead she felt her voice choke. She hated herself for how pathetic she knew she was going to sound. "He wouldn't have me with the strings. This was how I could get his attention. Or at least share it."

Silence settled between them as Rory looked plaintively as the ground.

Tristan cleared his throat and said in a gentle tone, "let me walk you to your room."


	3. Chapter 3

Sunlight streamed through the curtains, lighting the small room that looked like a hurricane had blown through. Under a layer of clothes, books, and miscellaneous items with the covers pulled to her chin, Rory Gilmore opened a weary eye. She sat up and groaned at the thud of pain that met her movements. She caught her reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall: not too pretty. Her skin was pale and her eyes had mascara smudges from the night before. Her head was ringing, her hair was greasy, and she noticed her teeth felt …skuzzy? She winced once more before heaving out of bed and heading to the bathroom. On her way, she stepped on her phone and pausing, leaned over to scoop it off the floor. 4 missed calls and one new message. Clicking a button, she found that Logan had called three times in the last two hours. _More than in the last week_, she noted grimly. Somewhat curious, she dialed her voicemail, fully expecting to hear his voice. Instead the voice on the machine was different than Logan's and it said, "I bet your head is killing you after last night, Mary. Call me." It was Tristan who had called her and not Logan. Rory blinked confusedly as this registered in her mind and slowly memories of her hazy alcohol saturated night came back to her in small increments. Logan and a blonde, Fin and vodka, Tristan and her…kissing. Kissing, Tristan and her kissing! The realization jarred Rory, and as her heart sped up, she remembered being at the party, seeing Logan and that girl walking towards them, and desperately whispering, "kiss me." And he had, Tristan had kissed her. An achingly slow kiss that had made her feel like her bones were melting and she wondered what she had been missing all of high school. As she remembered the sensation of that kiss, rather than how scandalous it taking place was, Rory felt her heart slow down and her cheeks begin to flush.

A knock at the door interrupted her reverie. "Rory, someone is here for you," Paris called through the door. Rory instantly thought of Tristan and she called back, trying to sound nonchalant, "okay, send them in." She ran into the bathroom quickly and squirted some toothpaste on her tongue, rubbing against her teeth…somewhat suspect hygiene and hey, girl has to do what she has to do. Hearing the door open, and emerging from the bathroom, she saw Logan standing in her doorway. Rory, instantly felt a swift surge of disappointment, and ignored it, smiling at him hesitantly.

"hey," she said quietly.

Logan smiled back at her, widely, and a little forced she thought.

"Ace, how are you?"

"Not my best…remind me to thank Fin for a killer hangover the next time I see him."

Logan looked uncomfortable for a second and then said, "right, from last night at the party…or did you drink more when you came home?"

Rory looked at him puzzled and answered, "I think I drank enough at the party without having to go home and have more."

"Right, right…I just wasn't sure if you came home. Alone, I mean." He said staring at the floor.

Rory felt her cheeks flush again, but this time anger.

"And I guess that's why you called me and came here…to check up on me?"

Logan met her eyes immediately, "no no not at all…I wanted to see you, Ace"

"Yeah seems that way," Rory answered harshly, the words leaping from her tongue.

Logan ran a hand through his blonde hair, "Ace, look I'm doing this all wrong. Last night made me think, alright"

Rory waited, looking at him warily.

"It made me realize how much I've missed and what an ass I've been lately. Please?" He motioned for her to come closer to him.

Rory pause a second before allowing him to pull her into his arms. He whispered into her ear, "I'll better okay?" and as their lips, Rory had to remind herself that this is what she wanted.


End file.
